How Do I Troubleshoot my Refrigerator?

Refrigerators are complex machines, along with being the most important appliances at home. Due to constant workload and being plugged all day, your fridge might develop a few issues. Your refrigerator is no different. Over a period of time, you may experience problems like:

Not cooling properly

Not freezing

Wiring acting up

Drain plate getting broken

Socket leaving sparks

Door not closing

Blocked drain

Before you look for a handyman, you must be able to troubleshoot the problem at home. The first thing you need to do is to look through the manual that came along your fridge. Manuals mostly have all the required information and some FAQs in the end. The benefit of these manuals is that they address the issues of your particular refrigerator model and not generic models.

If the manual does not contain proper information, the internet is your best resource. We have surveyed and watched dozens of troubleshooting videos to bring you this list of actionable tips.

Not cooling properly

For a few hours, you think you imagine things. Then, it dawns on you that your fridge’s cooling is not working properly. The first place you must check when your fridge is not cooling is the condenser. If the condenser coils are dirty, the debris makes your refrigerator less efficient. As a result, the machine works harder to cool items, and maintaining the temperature becomes difficult. Clean the condenser coils and check if it improves things.

Next, check the fan motor of your condenser. This motor draws air in, and if the fan is not working correctly, you cannot expect the fridge to cool. Evaporator Fan Motor, Temperature control thermostat, temperature control board, and start capacitor may also be the culprit behind this issue. In case of a faulty or dysfunctional part, you can order the specific brand parts. For example, you should purchase Samsung refrigerator parts from a trusted Samsung distributor. It will save you service fee money and a trip to the store.

Water dispenser not working

The entire family relies on the water dispenser for a chilled glass of water. If the dispenser has stopped working, look for the water tube in the door. Sometimes the water supply gets blocked due to a frozen water tube. You can thaw the pipe to resume air supply in it, and it should restart the dispenser.

The water inlet valve is the second culprit as it supplies water to the dispenser. If the pipe is broken or water supply is scarce, your water dispenser will not work. You can order a replacement of this valve to fix the issue.

A refrigerator is freezing everything

This is one of the most common issues in refrigerators around the world. These issues can arises due to a faulty:

Thermostat

Thermistor

Damper

Damper control assembly

Main control board (rarely the cause, so check other parts first)

Check all these parts in your machine, and if something is not functioning correctly, it is time to replace it.

Leaking water

Is a water stream leaking from your refrigerator all of a sudden? Do not worry and check the defrost drain. A clogged drain results in leaking water, by being frozen or blocked with debris. Next, check for cracks along the water drain and filter that may be allowing the water to seep through.

If you spot a crack anywhere in the drainage mechanism, you must replace the part and not attempt to fix it on your own. Not replacing these parts can cause a severe issue by sending water to other parts of the machine.

Display panel won’t work

Brands such as Samsung, can have an iconic display panel as the hub of all activity in the refrigerator. You can control the internal temperature as well as the water and ice dispenser settings with this digital panel. If your panel is not working, press the Energy and Power Saver buttons at the same time and hold for three seconds. If the panel does not have these buttons, press Lightning, and Photo Slide buttons instead.

If the problem persists, you can unplug the refrigerator and wait for ten minutes. The last resort is to press the ‘Ice Hold’ button for three seconds to disable child lock. The panel does not function if the child lock is on.

The ice maker is not working

If your fridge is not making ice like it used to, check the fridge temperature. Any temperature above -12 degrees Celsius will not form ice. Clogged water inlet pipes can be the next reason, as it may stop water supply to the ice maker.

Your fridge’s ice maker assembly and icemaker module may be faulty too. Order a replacement of these parts to solve the issue and take a glance to see if the water supply in your home is normal. Low water supply also affects ice-making in the refrigerators.

Parting thoughts

Diagnosing the problem yourself will save you from expensive repair services as you can replace the faulty parts and save some bucks. We hope that this guide helped you troubleshoot some issues in your fridge and led you to a cure that gets your refrigerator working efficiently in no time.